Game Management System

This application is a continuation of US Pat. App. Ser. No. 17/991,027 filed Nov. 21, 2022, which is a continuation of US Pat. App. Ser. No. 16/975,508 filed Aug. 25, 2020, which is a national phase application under 35 USC § 371 of International Pat. App. PCT/JP 2019/005468 filed Feb. 15, 2019, which claims priority to JP Pat. App. 2018-031469 filed Feb. 26, 2018. The entire contents of each application are hereby incorporated by reference.

The present disclosure relates to a game management system for managing casino games which are played in casino facilities.

In the related art, a point service of offering a point when a client participates in a game has been provided as a part of a measure for keeping clients for the purpose of an increase in profits of a casino manager (a game promoter) in casino facilities. In this point service, a client can acquire an incentive when the client collects points.

Specifically, a client first registers a member in a casino facility and then a member ID is given to the client. The member ID is stored in a member card which is carried by the client. The casino manager ascertains a time in which the client sits in a table and offers points corresponding to the time by reading the member card of the client when the client arrives at the table and when the client leaves the table. The offered points are records in a recording device of the casino facility in correlation with the member ID of the client. The casino manager consumes the points recorded in the recording device to offer an incentive to the client.

In the point service according to the related art, points are offered according to the time in which a client sits in a table, but the client does not necessarily participate (perform betting) in all games even when the client sits in the table and may participate in a game sometimes while watching a game in which other clients participate. Accordingly, points are offered to a client who hardly participates in games and does not contribute to sales of the casino manager, which causes a loss of the casino manager.

It is conceivable that points are offered according to an actual bet amount of a client. However, in this case, a dealer or a pit manager needs to manually input a bet amount whenever a client performs betting. Accordingly, an input miss or input omission is likely to occur. When a client claims that reasonable points are not offered for a bet amount, it cannot be verified and thus a casino manager has to offer points in response to the client's claim. There may be a client with malice who makes such a claim and thus the loss of the casino manager may be severely large.

Therefore, an objective of the present disclosure is to provide a game management system that can reliably offer points corresponding to a bet amount of each player.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a game management system that manages a casino game which is played in a casino facility, the game management system including: a gaming table in which a game is played using game tokens; an information processing device that identifies a bet amount for each player position of the gaming table on the basis of a position, a type, and the number of game tokens which have been bet; a player identifying unit that identifies a player who participates in a game at each player position of the gaming table; and a point processing unit that stores a member ID of each player who is identified by the player identifying unit and a bet amount of each player position which is identified by the information processing device in a database in correlation with each other, in which the point processing unit has a function of giving points based on a bet amount of each player who is identified by the player identifying unit to the player.

With this configuration, it is possible to reliably offer points based on a bet amount of a player. Note that, the information processing device may ascertain the position, the type, and the number of the game tokens on the basis of the image acquired by photographing the bet game tokens or may ascertain the position, the type, and the number of game tokens using other means.

The game management system may further include a game result determining device that is able to determine a result of a game, and the point processing unit may be configured to ascertain winning/losing and a balance of each player on the basis of information of the bet amount of each player and information of the game result determined by the game result determining device.

The game management system may further include a game token tray that accommodates the game tokens, and the information processing device may be configured to determine a total amount of the game tokens in the game token tray and to compare a total amount of the balance of each player with a total increase/decrease amount of the game token tray before and after settlement of the game tokens.

In the game management system, the point processing unit may be configured to offer points to the players when the total increase/decrease amount of the game token tray before and after settlement of the game tokens and the total amount of the balance of the players match each other as a result of comparison.

With this configuration, it is possible to ascertain that payment or collection of game tokens has been accurately performed by settlement and then to offer points.

In the game management system, the player identifying unit may be a face authentication system.

With this configuration, a player does not need to perform a particular action such as presentation of a member card for identifying the player and a player (a member) in each player position can be easily identified.

In the game management system, the player identifying unit may be a reader device that is carried by each player and reads the member ID from a storage medium in which the member ID is stored.

With this configuration, it is possible to reliably identify a player.

In the game management system, the point processing unit may have a function of ascertaining a start time and an end time at which each player participates in a game in the gaming table and storing the start time and the end time in the database.

With this configuration, it is possible to ascertain the time in which a player participates actually in a game in addition to an actual bet amount.

In the game management system, the point processing unit may have a function of calculating a bet amount of each player for each game.

With this configuration, it is possible to ascertain a bet amount of each player for each game.

The game management system may further include an incentive processing unit that provides an incentive on the basis of the bet amount which is accumulated every month or every year.

With this configuration, it is possible to offer an incentive on the basis of the points accumulated every month or every year.

The game management system may further include an incentive processing unit that provides an incentive on the basis of a bet amount which is accumulated every successive days.

With this configuration, it is possible to offer an incentive on the basis of the points accumulated every successive days (for example, three days).

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a game management system including a player identifying unit that identifies a player who participates in a game in a casino facility; a camera that acquires an image by photographing game tokens which each player has bet in the game; an information processing device that identifies a bet amount of each player in the game on the basis of the image; and a recording unit that records points of each player according to the bet amount identified by the information processing device.

With this configuration, it is also possible to reliably offer points based on a bet amount of each player.

In the game management system, the recording unit may be a storage medium which is carried by each player.

With this configuration, a player can request an incentive by consuming points using the storage medium.

In the game management system, the recording unit may be a database in which the points for each player are stored for a plurality of players.

With this configuration, a player does not need to have a storage medium in order to collect points or to request an incentive by consuming points. A problem with counterfeit of such a storage medium is prevented.

The game management system may further include an incentive offering device that offers an incentive to each player according to the points stored in the recording unit.

With this configuration, a player can enjoy scoring based on the points which are held by the player.

In the game management system, the point processing unit may manage a plurality of gaming tables, ascertain a total bet amount for each player, a net profit of each player, or a net profit of a game promoter in a predetermined time or period, offer points or a status to each player under a predetermined condition on the basis of the total bet amount, the net profit of each player, or the net profit of the game promoter, and output the offered points or status.

With this configuration, the accumulation of the total bet amount or the net profit of each player or the net profit of the game promoter in a plurality of gaming tables are ascertained and points or status is offered accordingly.

In the game management system, the predetermined time or period may be a day, successive days, or a month.

With this configuration, for example, points or status is offered to a player on the basis of the total bet amount a day.

In the game management system, the point processing unit may additionally offer the points or status when points are collectively offered in the predetermined time or period.

With this configuration, it is possible to offer an incentive by collectively collecting points for a short period of time.

In the game management system, the point processing unit may offer a right to enter a VIP room on the basis of the points or status.

With this configuration, an incentive of the right to enter a VIP room can be offered. Note that, the point processing unit may offer a right to enter a VIP room when the points or status reaches a predetermined reference value.

In the game management system, the points or status may be able to be exchanged for unrealizable game tokens.

With this configuration, it is possible to offer an incentive of exchange for unrealizable game tokens. Note that, the points or status and the unrealizable game tokens may be exchanged in accordance with a predetermined exchange rate.

In the game management system, the points or status may be able to be used for paying a usage fee for a hotel or a predetermined facility.

With this configuration, it is possible to offer an incentive of use of a hotel or a predetermined system.

In the game management system, the point processing unit may output the total bet amount of each player as credit information of the player.

With this configuration, it is possible to acquire credit information based on the total bet amount.

When a game concludes, a dealer picks up the game tokens bet by players and pays out the game tokens for the players according to a game result and details of the bets (such as a bet target and a bet amount) of each player. Preferably, whether or not this collection and payout (hereinafter, the collection and the payout will be collectively referred to as “settlement”) has been accurately performed is determined at the time of the settlement to allow the players and the dealer to clearly recognize it.

In this regard, this embodiment provides a system for displaying accuracy of settlement at the time of the game token settlement subsequent to the end of the game.

1 FIG. 2 FIG. 3 FIG. is a plan view illustrating a gaming table according to this embodiment.is a plan view illustrating a game token tray according to this embodiment.is a diagram illustrating a whole configuration of a game token management system including the game token tray.

4 44 44 441 442 443 444 445 4 45 46 The gaming tableis a baccarat table around which respective bet areasare provided for seven players. The bet areaof each player includes a player area (PLAYER), a banker area (BANKER), a time area (TIE), a player pair area (P), and a banker pair area (B). Each player performs betting by placing game tokens of the bet amount in a position corresponding to the bet target. In addition, the gaming tableincludes a player card areawhere the drawn player cards are placed and a banker card areawhere the drawn banker cards are placed.

17 4 17 4 A game token trayfor allowing the dealer to store game tokens is provided in front of a dealer position of the gaming table. At least a part of the game token trayis buried in the gaming table.

120 120 120 The game tokenused in this embodiment has the same configuration as those of the first to third embodiments. That is, the game tokenhas a symbol, a pattern, or a color by which a type (value) can be identified from each of the front and side faces. In addition, the game tokenhas at least an RFID embedded to store information for identifying the type.

2 4 44 4 2 44 44 2 44 2 1 FIG. A camera deviceis provided over the gaming tableto photograph the bet area. The gaming tableaccording to this embodiment has seven player positions (“1”, “2”, “3”, “5”, “6”, “7”, and “8” in) for allowing participation of seven players. The camera devicephotographs the bet areasof all player positions. Note that the bet areasof all the player positions may not be photographed by a single camera device, or all the bet areasmay be photographed by a plurality of camera devicesin a distributed manner.

50 50 2 2 50 4 2 12 The management control devicehas all the functions described in the first to third embodiments. The management control devicespecifies a position (bet target), a type, and the number of the game tokens placed in the bet area on the basis of the image photographed by the camera device. A device such as the camera deviceand the management control devicefunctions as a measurement device or a bet determination device for measuring the position, the type, and the number of the game tokens on the gaming table, and its configuration and function are similar to those of the camera deviceand the image analysis deviceof the first embodiment.

3 3 4 3 50 50 4 4 3 The card distribution devicealso has a configuration and a function similar to those of the first embodiment. That is, the card distribution devicedetermines a game winning/losing result on the gaming tableand displays it on a result indicator lamp. In addition, the card distribution devicetransmits the determined game winning/losing result to the management control device. The management control devicehas a function of recognizing the position, the type, and the number of the game tokens on the gaming tableand performing a balance count for the casino side on the gaming tableusing a winning/losing result obtained from the card distribution deviceas a winning/losing determination device.

2 3 50 4 17 17 On the basis of details of the betting determined from the image of the camera deviceand the information regarding the winning/losing result obtained from the card distribution device, the management control devicerecognizes, by calculation, the amount of the game tokens to be collected by the casino side on the gaming tablein the corresponding game and the amount of the game tokens to be paid out by the casino side, and compares each of them with the amount of the game tokens actually increasing in the game token traythrough the collection and the amount of the game tokens actually decreasing in the game token traythrough the payout.

50 120 17 50 120 17 The management control devicereads the RFID of the game tokenstored in the game token trayat a predetermined time interval and stores the read information when a change occurs. On the basis of the stored information, the management control devicecompares the type and the number of the game tokens at the past time point and the type and the number of the game tokens at the current time point, and calculates a change amount of the game tokensin the game token tray.

2 FIG. 3 FIG. 17 170 173 176 170 177 170 As illustrated in, the game token trayhas a storing portionand indicator lampsto. The storing portionhas a plurality of columns, and each column is configured to store the game tokens by stacking them in a thickness direction. As illustrated in, an antennais disposed under the storing portion.

173 174 175 The indicator lampdisplays whether or not a balance between the collected amount and the paid amount is correct. The indicator lampdisplays whether or not a total amount of the collected game tokens is correct, and whether or not a total amount of the paid game tokens is correct. The indicator lampdisplays whether or not the collection amount or the payout amount of the game tokens bet on the pair is correct.

176 176 173 173 176 174 176 3 FIG. A total of seven indicator lampsare provided to match the seven player positions. In the collection stage, an indicator lampcorresponding to the player whose game tokens are to be collected (loser in the game) is turned on. In the payout stage, an indicator lamp corresponding to the player who has to get the game tokens (winner in the game) is turned on. Note that, in, only the indicator lampis illustrated as a representative of the indicator lampsto, and the other indicator lampstoare not illustrated for simplicity purpose.

50 173 176 173 176 The management control devicecontrols switching on/off operations of the indicator lampstoin order to display the comparison result (match or mismatch). The game token management system according to this embodiment checks whether or not the settlement of the game tokens is appropriately performed in real time using the indicator lampsto. The game token management system according to this embodiment also checks, in real time, whether or not a wrongful game token is included in the collected game tokens.

50 4 4 50 First, the management control devicespecifies a player who participates in the game on the gaming tableand associates the participating player with the player position number (“1”,“2”, “3”, “5”, “6”, “7”, and “8”) of the gaming table. Specifically, the management control devicecan identify a player of each player position using a face authentication system or a membership card.

50 176 When a game concludes, the management control devicechecks the game tokens to be collected by the dealer (winning chips of the casino side) for each player on the basis of the game result, and turns on the indicator lampcorresponding to the player position to be collected. As a result, the dealer can recognize where the game tokens are to be collected out of the player positions.

4 170 17 176 When a game concludes, first, a dealer picks up all of the game tokens to be collected from the bet area of the loser (collection stage), and then pays out the game tokens for the winner (payout stage). In the collection stage, the dealer stores the game tokens collected from the bet area of the gaming tablein the storing portionof the game token trayby checking the indicator lamp. Specifically, the dealer stores the collected game tokens in any two right columns serving as a collecting portion in order of the player position number.

41 170 50 44 2 50 177 170 171 171 Whenever the dealer picks up the game tokens from the bet areaand stores them in the collecting portion of the storing portion, the management control devicedetermines whether or not the game tokens are collected from the bet areaand the amount of the collected game tokens on the basis of the image from the camera device. In addition, the management control devicedetermines the amount of the game tokens stored in the collecting portion (increase amount) on the basis of the radio waves received via the antenna. Note that, although the two columns of the right side out of fourteen columns serve as the collecting portion of the storing portionin this embodiment, the collecting portion for storing the collected game tokens may be, for example, a horizontal collection game token trayor a collection game token trayseparated from the other columns.

50 170 50 170 170 Here, the management control deviceobtains, for each player, the increase amount by calculating a difference of the total amount of the game tokens of the storing portionbefore and after the collection using the RFID. In this manner, the management control devicethat determines the amount of the game tokens held in the storing portionby reading the information of their types (values) from the RFIDs of the game tokens held in the storing portioncorresponds to a dealer chip determination device according to the present invention.

50 2 177 The management control devicedetermines whether or not the actual collection amount determined on the basis of the image from the camera device(image-based collection amount), the increase amount of the game tokens in the collecting portion determined on the basis of the radio wave received from the antenna(RFID-based collection amount), and the collection amount calculated on the basis of the game result and details of the bets of the losers (calculation-based collection amount) match each other.

50 176 176 If the image-based collection amount, the RFID-based collection amount, and the calculation-based collection amount match each other, the management control deviceturns off the corresponding indicator lamp. The dealer can recognize that collection of the game tokens from the players is accurately completed by checking the turn-off state of the indicator lamp.

176 Meanwhile, in a case where the image-based collection amount, the RFID-based collection amount, and the calculation-based collection amount do not match, the indicator lampremains in the turn-on state. Therefore, the dealer can recognize whether or not the collection of the game tokens from the corresponding player is accurately completed, or whether or not there is a wrongful game token in the collected game tokens.

176 50 174 If the collection of the game tokens described above is completed for all the losers, all the indicator lampsare turned off. At this time point, the management control devicedetermines a total increase amount in the collecting portion using the RFID again, and compares the total increase amount and the total calculation-based collection amount calculated on the basis of the game result and details of bets of all losers. If both amounts match each other, the indicator lampis turned on.

50 170 170 174 Here, the management control devicecalculates a difference between the total amount of the game tokens in the storing portionobtained using the RFID before starting the collection stage after completion of the game and the total amount of the game tokens in the storing portionobtained using the RFID after completion of the collection, in order to obtain a total RFID-based collection amount. The dealer can recognize that the collection of the game tokens is accurately completed by checking the turn-on state of the indicator lamp.

50 2 177 50 Note that the management control devicedetermines whether or not the image-based collection amount determined on the basis of the image from the camera device, the RFID-based collection amount determined on the basis of the radio waves received from the antenna, and the calculation-based collection amount calculated on the basis of the game result and details of the bets of the losers match each other in aforementioned description. Alternatively, the management control devicemay determine only whether or not the image-based collection amount matches the calculation-based collection amount or only whether or not the RFID-based collection amount matches the calculation-based collection amount.

50 50 174 50 50 120 17 50 120 17 50 174 In the aforementioned description, the management control devicedetermines a total increase amount using the RFID again if it is determined that the collection is completed for all losers. In addition, the management control deviceturns on the indicator lampif the total increase amount matches the total calculation-based collection amount. Alternatively, the management control devicemay operate as follows. Specifically, the management control devicestores the RFID information read whenever there is a change in the amount of the game tokensin the game token trayas described above. In addition, the management control devicemay determine a total increase amount whenever there is a change in the amount of the game tokensin the game token trayand determine whether or not the total increase amount matches the total calculation-based collection amount. Furthermore, the management control devicemay turn on the indicator lampwhen it is determined that both the amounts match each other.

50 176 176 170 Next, the dealer pays for the winner (payout stage). If the collection for all of the losers is completed, the management control deviceturns on the indicator lampcorresponding to the player for which the game tokens are to be paid out. The dealer can recognize the player to be paid out by checking the indicator lamp. In the payout stage, the dealer performs the payout by extracting the game tokens corresponding to the payout amount from the storing portionand placing the extracted game tokens on the bet area of the corresponding player.

50 2 170 4 50 170 177 50 170 The management control devicedetermines whether or not the game token is extracted on the bet area and the amount of the extracted game tokens on the basis of the image from the camera devicewhenever the dealer extracts the game token from the storing portionand places it on the gaming table. In addition, the management control devicedetermines the amount of the game tokens extracted from the storing portion(decrease amount) on the basis of the radio waves received via the antenna. Here, the management control deviceobtains, for each player, the decrease amount by calculating a difference of the total amount of the game tokens in the storing portionbefore and after the payout using the RFID.

50 2 170 177 The management control devicedetermines whether or not the actual payout amount determined on the basis of the image from the camera device(image-based payout amount), the decrease amount of the game tokens in the storing portiondetermined on the basis of the radio waves received from the antenna(RFID-based payout amount), and the payout amount of the corresponding winner calculated on the basis of the game result and details of bets (calculation-based payout amount) match each other.

50 176 176 If the image-based payout amount, the RFID-based payout amount, and the calculation-based payout amount match each other, the management control deviceturns off the corresponding indicator lamp. The dealer can recognize that the payout of the game tokens for the corresponding player is accurately completed by checking the turn-off state of the indicator lamp.

176 Meanwhile, if the image-based payout amount, the RFID-based payout amount, and the calculation-based payout amount do not match, the indicator lampremains in the turn-on state. Therefore, the dealer can recognize that the payout to the corresponding player is not completed.

176 50 170 50 174 As the payout of the game tokens for all winners is completed, all the indicator lampsare turned off. At this time point, the management control devicedetermines a total decrease amount in the storing portionusing the RFID again, and compares the total decrease amount and the total calculation-based payout amount calculated on the basis of the game result and details of the bets. If both the amounts match each other, the management control deviceturns on the indicator lamp.

50 170 170 174 Here, the management control deviceobtains the total RFID-based payout amount by calculating a difference between a total amount of the game tokens in the storing portionobtained using the RFID before starting the payout stage after completion of the collection and a total amount of the game tokens in the storing portionobtained using the RFID after completion of the payout. The dealer can recognize that the payout of the game tokens is accurately completed by checking the turn-on state of the indicator lamp.

50 2 177 50 Note that, in the aforementioned description, the management control devicedetermines whether or not the image-based payout amount determined on the basis of the image from the camera device, the RFID-based payout amount determined on the basis of the radio waves received via the antenna, and the calculation-based payout amount calculated on the basis of the game result and details of the bet of the corresponding winner totally match each other. Alternatively, the management control devicemay determine only whether or not the image-based payout amount matches the calculation-based payout amount, or only whether or not the RFID-based payout amount matches the calculation-based payout amount.

50 50 174 50 50 120 17 50 120 17 50 174 In the aforementioned description, the management control devicedetermines the total decrease amount using the RFID again if it is determined that payout for all winners is completed. In addition, the management control deviceturns on the indicator lampif the total decrease amount matches the total calculation-based payout amount. Alternatively, the management control devicemay operate as follows. Specifically, the management control devicestores the RFID information read whenever there is a change in the amount of the game tokensin the game token trayas described above. In addition, the management control devicemay determine the total decrease amount whenever there is a change in the amount of the game tokensin the game token trayand determine whether or not the total decrease amount matches the total calculation-based payout amount. Furthermore, the management control devicemay turn on the indicator lampwhen it is determined that both the amounts match each other.

50 170 50 170 170 If the settlement (collection and payout) of the game tokens is completed as described above, the management control devicedetermines whether or not the total change amount of the game tokens in the storing portionthrough the settlement is correct. Specifically, the management control deviceobtains a total change amount caused by the settlement (total RFID-based change amount) by calculating a difference between a total amount of the game tokens in the storing portionobtained using the RFID before starting the settlement after completion of the game and a total amount of the game tokens in the storing portionobtained using the RFID after completion of the settlement.

50 50 50 174 171 Meanwhile, the management control devicecalculates the total change amount of the dealer caused by the settlement of the corresponding game on the basis of the game result and details of the bets (total calculation-based change amount). The calculation-based change amount may be obtained by subtracting the total calculation-based payout amount from the calculation-based collection amount. The management control devicecompares the total RFID-based change amount and the total calculation-based change amount. If both the amounts match each other, the management control deviceturns on the indicator lamp. The dealer can recognize that the settlement of the game tokens in the corresponding game is accurately completed by checking the turn-on state of the indicator lamp. Then, the dealer can start the next game.

175 175 Next, the indicator lampwill be described. The indicator lampfunctions as a pair lamp. In a baccarat game, a player is allowed to bet on “PAIR” in addition to “PLAYER”, “BANKER”, and “TIE”. The “PAIR” means that the first two cards have the same rank. Specifically, the “PAIR” includes “PLAYER PAIR” in which the first two player cards have the same rank and “BANKER PAIR” in which the first two banker cards have the same rank.

In a case where any one of the players is betting on PAIR, and the two cards have the same rank (a pair is established), a predetermined multiplication factor (for example, payment of 11 to 1) of a bet amount of game tokens are paid out for a player who bets the pair regardless of the game result (“PLAYER”, “BANKER”, or “TIE”). If the pair is not established, all of the game tokens bet on the pair are collected. If the pair is not established when the first four cards (two for player and two for banker) are drawn, the game tokens bet on the pair at that timing are collected.

50 50 170 50 2 In a case where a bet is made for the “PAIR”, the management control devicecalculates a total calculation-based collection amount (if the pair is not established) or a total calculation-based payout amount (if the pair established) when the four cards are drawn. In addition, the management control devicecompares it with the total change amount of the game tokens in the storing portionobtained using the RFID before and after the settlement for the pair. Note that the management control devicemay recognize whether or not a bet is made on the pair or the bet amount on the basis of the image of the camera device.

170 50 175 175 If the total calculation-based collection amount or the total calculation-based payout amount matches the total change amount of the game tokens in the storing portion, the management control deviceturns on the indicator lamp. The dealer can recognize that the settlement for the pair is accurately completed by checking the turn-on state of the indicator lamp.

50 175 175 175 Alternatively, the management control devicemay turn on the indicator lampif a bet is made on the pair. The timing for turning on the indicator lampmay be either when the bets conclude or when the four cards are drawn. In this case, the dealer can recognize that it is necessary to perform settlement for the pair by checking the turn-on state of the indicator lamp.

50 175 170 175 In this case, the management control deviceturns off the indicator lampif the total calculation-based collection amount or the total calculation-based payout amount matches the total change amount of the game tokens in the storing portion. The dealer can recognize that the settlement for the pair is accurately completed by checking the turn-off state of the indicator lamp.

Note that, in the baccarat game, a game may conclude by drawing the four cards (two for player cards and two for banker cards), or the fifth card or the subsequent sixth card may be drawn, depending on the ranks of the distributed cards, in some cases. If the game concludes with four draws, the typical settlement described above is performed as soon as the settlement of the pair is finished. If the fifth or subsequent card is drawn, the settlement for the pair is performed after drawing the fourth card. As the settlement for the pair is completed, the fifth card (or the subsequent sixth card) is drawn. As the game concludes, the typical settlement described above is performed.

176 176 176 176 176 Note that, in the aforementioned embodiment, during the collection stage, the indicator lampof the loser whose game tokens are to be collected is turned on, and the indicator lampis turned off in order of the player for which the collection is completed. Similarly, during the payout stage, the indicator lampof the winner for which the game tokens are to be paid out is turned on, and the indicator lampis turned off in order of the player for which the payout is completed. Alternatively, all of the indicator lampsmay be turned on by changing color between the winner and the loser at the end of the game.

176 176 176 176 For example, the indicator lampcorresponding to the loser may be turned on in red, and the indicator lampcorresponding to the winner may be turned on in green. In this case, the dealer can recognize that the collection from all of the losers is accurately completed by checking the turn-off states of all the red indicator lamps. In addition, the dealer can recognize that the payout for all the winners is accurately completed by checking the turn-off states of all the green indicator lamps.

4 FIG. 4 FIG. 2 FIG. 17 17 17 1761 1765 1761 1762 1763 1764 1765 178 is a plan view illustrating a game token tray according to a modification. In the game token trayof, like reference numerals denote like elements as in the game token trayof, and they will not be described for simplicity purposes. In the game token trayof this modification, the indicator lampstoof each bet target (specifically, the indicator lampindicating “PLAYER”, the indicator lampindicating “BANKER”, the indicator lampindicating “TIE”, the indicator lampindicating “PLAYER PAIR”, and the indicator lampindicating “BANKER PAIR”) and the indicator lampindicating that the settlement is accurately completed are provided for each player position.

1761 1765 178 The indicator lampstoare turned on depending on the bet target of each player (position where the game tokens are placed), and are turned off as the settlement is completed. The indicator lampis turned on when the settlement is accurately completed for each player.

17 1741 1745 1741 1745 The game token trayaccording to the first modification has indicator lampstoindicating that the settlement for each bet target (such as “PLAYER”, “BANKER” “TIE”, “PLAYER PAIR”, and “BANKER PAIR”) is accurately completed. The game tokens are paid out for any one of “PLAYER”, “BANKER”, and “TIE”, and are collected for the other bets, depending on the game winning/losing result. In addition, if the player pair is established, the game tokens are paid out for “PLAYER PAIR”. If the player pair is not established, the game tokens are collected for “PLAYER PAIR”. Similarly, if the banker pair is established, the game tokens are paid for “BANKER PAIR”. If the banker pair is not established, the game tokens are collected for “BANKER PAIR”. The indicator lampstoare turned on when the settlement (collection or payout) for each of “PLAYER”, “BANKER” “TIE”, “PLAYER PAIR”, and “BANKER PAIR” is accurately completed.

5 FIG. 5 FIG. 17 17 173 is a plan view illustrating a game token trayaccording to another modification. As illustrated in the example of, the game token traymay have only the indicator lampindicating whether or not the balance between the collected amount and the paid amount is correct.

6 FIG. 6 FIG. 17 17 173 174 is a plan view illustrating a game token trayaccording to further another modification. As illustrated in, the game token traymay have an indicator lampindicating whether or not the balance between the collected amount and the paid amount is correct and the indicator lampindicating whether or not a total collected amount is correct and whether or not a total paid amount is correct.

50 17 177 17 50 17 17 Note that, in the aforementioned embodiment and its modifications, the management control devicedetermines the amount of game tokens stored in the game token trayby wirelessly reading the information from the RFID embedded in the game token using the RFID embedded in the game token and the antennaembedded under the game token tray. Alternatively, the management control devicemay determine the amount of the game tokens stored in the game token trayby providing a camera device for photographing the game tokens stored in the game token trayand recognizing the image of the camera device. In this case, the game token may not have the RFID.

173 In the aforementioned embodiment, a plurality of indicator lamps including the indicator lampare physically realized as lamps. Alternatively, such lamps may be provided as images on a display device such as a liquid crystal panel.

120 17 120 120 17 120 17 50 17 2 In the aforementioned embodiment, the information regarding the type and the number of the game tokensstored in the game token trayis determined by reading the RFID embedded in the game token. Alternatively or additionally, the information regarding the type and the number of the game tokensstored in the game token traymay be determined by providing a camera device for photographing the game tokensstored in the game token trayand recognizing the image using the management control device. In this case, as the camera device for photographing the game token tray, the camera devicedescribed above may be commonly used, or a dedicated camera device may be provided.

120 120 17 50 17 In a case where image recognition is performed for the image of the camera device in addition to the RFID reading, the game tokensmay be verified by comparing the number of the game tokensobtained through the RFID reading with the number of the game tokens determined through the image recognition. If the RFID of the game token trayis failed, or the stored game token has no RFID (wrongful game token), the number determined through the image recognition becomes larger than the number determined through the RFID reading. Therefore, in the case of such discrepancy occurs, the management control deviceturns on the indicator lamp, so that the dealer can recognize that a wrongful game token is contained in the game token trayby checking the indicator lamp.

120 17 In particular, in a case where a discrepancy in the number of the game tokens occurs as a result of performing the RFID reading and the image recognition at a predetermined time interval and performing the aforementioned comparison whenever the information is updated, it is recognized that such a discrepancy is caused by the game tokenrecently added to the game token tray. Therefore, it is possible to identify a player who has a wrongful game token.

50 50 2 3 120 4 2 The management control devicemay verify that the corresponding game tokens do not exist on the gaming table as the dealer collects the game tokens from the gaming table. In this case, specifically, the management control devicedetermines how much game tokens are bet on which bet target and what is the type of the game tokens on the basis of the image from the camera device, determines the amount to be collected in accordance with the game rule according to the game result of the card distribution device(calculation-based collection amount), and verifies that the game tokenscorresponding to the calculation-based collection amount do not exist on the gaming tableon the basis of the image from the camera device.

50 4 17 2 50 The management control devicemay verify whether or not the collection is accurately performed by comparing the amount of the game tokens that do not exist on the gaming table(image-based collection amount) with the amount of the game tokens added to the game token trayon the basis of the image from the camera devicedescribed above. In this case, if both the amounts do not match as a result of the comparison, the management control deviceturns on the indicator lamp.

50 50 2 3 120 4 2 The management control devicemay verify that the corresponding game tokens exist on the gaming table as a result that the dealer pays out the game tokens on the gaming table. In this case, specifically, the management control devicedetermines how much game tokens are bet on which bet target and what is the type of the game tokens on the basis of the image from the camera device, determines the amount to be paid out in accordance with the game rule according to the game result of the card distribution device(calculation-based payout amount), and verifies that the game tokenscorresponding to the calculation-based payout amount are added on the gaming tableon the basis of the image from the camera device.

50 4 17 2 50 The management control devicemay verify whether or not the payout is accurately performed by comparing the amount of the game tokens added on the gaming table(image-based payout amount) and the amount of the game tokens extracted from the game token trayon the basis of the image from the camera devicedescribed above. In this case, if both the amounts do not match as a result of the comparison, the management control deviceturns on the indicator lamp.

120 50 50 120 4 17 120 50 120 17 As described above, the dealer basically collects the game tokensbet by the losers in order of the player position number. The management control devicedetermines whether or not the dealer takes the chips in accordance with this rule (in order of the player position number) and also determines whether or not the amount of the chips sequentially collected is correct. In this case, the management control devicedetermines how far the dealer collects the game tokens (what is the player position at which collection of the game tokens is currently performed) in addition to the individual player position and all of the player positions, and accordingly determines whether or not the game tokenscollected from the gaming tablein each stage are reliably added to the game token tray. For example, when the game tokensare collected from three positions, the management control devicedetermines whether or not the game tokensare reliably stored in the game token trayfrom three positions.

173 17 As described above, according to this embodiment and its modifications, the indicator lampor the like is provided to indicate whether a change of the game tokens in the game token trayafter an end of the game is accurate and/or inaccurate. Therefore, it is possible to recognize, in real time, whether or not settlement is accurately performed at the time of the settlement.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described hereinbefore, a person ordinarily skilled in the art would modify them within the scope of the invention. In addition, the devices according to the embodiments may be appropriately modified as necessary depending on an applied game.

7 FIG. 100 4 9 In a second embodiment, a game management system for carrying out a point service will be described.is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a game management system according to this embodiment. A game management systemis installed in casino facilities and manages casino games which are carried out in the casino facilities. In the casino facilities, a plurality of gaming tablesfor playing a game using game tokensis provided.

4 2 3 17 50 4 50 2 The configurations of the gaming tableand a camera, a card distribution device, a game token tray, and a control devicewhich are provided in the gaming tableare the same as in the first embodiment. That is, similarly to the first embodiment, the control deviceidentifies a position (a player position and a bet target), a type, and the number of game tokens placed in a bet area on the basis of an image captured by the cameraand calculates a bet amount from the identified type and number of game tokens for each player position.

50 9 4 3 The control deviceascertains positions, types, and numbers of game tokenson the gaming table, receives a winning/losing result from the card distribution deviceserving as a winning/losing determination device, and calculates a collection amount and a payout amount for each player position on the basis of the winning/losing result and the calculated bet amount for each player position.

4 5 5 50 50 4 60 60 50 4 In each gaming tablein this embodiment, a reader/writer deviceis additionally provided at a dealer position. The reader/writer deviceis connected to the control device. The control deviceof each gaming tableis connected to a management control deviceto communicate therewith in a wired or wireless manner. That is, the management control deviceis connected to the control devicesof a plurality of gaming tables.

8 FIG. 5 1 1 11 11 11 5 is a diagram illustrating the reader/writer deviceand a member card. The member cardis a plastic card and has an RF tagincorporated therein. A member ID which is given to a player (a member) through member registration which will be described later, points held by the corresponding player (held points), and the like are stored in the RF tag. An antenna is provided in the RF tagand information can be written and read in a noncontact manner using the reader/writer device.

5 51 52 53 54 51 11 1 54 4 The reader/writer deviceincludes a radio unit, a seating button, a seat-leaving button, and a position designation button. The radio unitperforms writing and reading information to and from the RF tagincorporated into the member cardin an RFID manner. The position designation buttonincludes buttons “1”, “2”, “3”, “5”, “6”, “7”, and “8” corresponding to seven positions of the gaming tableand a button “C” for cancelling designation.

9 FIG. 1 1 is a diagram illustrating information which is stored in the member card. In the member card, a member ID, held points, a latest balance, points acquired in three latest days, points acquired in one latest month, and points acquired in one latest year are stored. As the latest balance, the total value of a payout amount (plus) and a collected amount (minus) between the previous seating and the previous seat leaving is written.

4 1 5 1 54 52 1 51 1 5 5 When a player arrives at a player position of the gaming table, a dealer D receives the member cardfrom the player and causes the reader/writer deviceto read the member card. Specifically, the dealer D presses the position designation buttonof the corresponding player position, presses the seating button, and holds the member cardup over the radio unitto read information stored in the member card. Accordingly, the reader/writer devicecan identify the player located in each player position using the member ID and the reader/writer deviceserves as a player identifying unit.

5 51 52 50 50 5 50 5 60 The reader/writer deviceoutputs (transmits) the information read by the radio unit, a seating signal based on the pressing of the seating button, and information of the player position in which the player corresponding to the member ID is seated to the control device. The control devicerecords the information received from the reader/writer deviceand records a time at which the seating signal has been received as a start time. The start time is stored in the form of date and time. The control devicetransmits the information of the start time and the member ID received from the reader/writer deviceto the management control device.

50 5 50 The control deviceascertains at which player position a player with a certain member ID plays a game on the basis of the member ID and the information of the player position received from the reader/writer device. While a player is playing a game a plurality of times, the control devicecalculates and records a bet amount, a payout amount, and a collected amount for each member ID.

4 5 1 53 1 51 1 When a player leaves the gaming table, the dealer D causes the reader/writer deviceto read the member cardreceived from the player. In this case, the dealer D presses the seat-leaving buttonand holds the member cardup over the radio unitto read the member ID from the member card.

5 50 5 50 50 50 The reader/writer deviceoutputs (transmits) the member ID and the seat-leaving signal to the control device. When the member ID and the seat-leaving signal are received from the reader/writer device, the control devicerecords the time at which the seat-leaving signal has been received as an end time. The end time is stored in the format of date and time. The control devicecalculates a cumulative bet amount and a cumulative balance from the start time to the end time for the member ID. The control devicecalculates acquired points on the basis of the cumulative bet amount from the start time to the end time.

50 1 50 5 5 1 The control deviceadds the calculated acquired points to the held points read from the member cardat the time of seating to update the held points. All of the acquired points in three latest days, the acquired points in one latest month, and the acquired points in one latest year are updated on the basis of the calculated acquired points. The control deviceoutputs the updated held points, the acquired points in three latest days, the acquired points in one latest month, the acquired points in one latest year, and the cumulative balance from the start time to the end time to the reader/writer device. The reader/writer devicerewrites the output information over the information of the member card. Note that, the cumulative balance from the start time to the end time is stored as the latest balance.

50 5 1 1 By the above-mentioned functions of the control deviceand the reader/writer device, points based on an actual bet amount can be offered to the member cardand a player can store the held points in the member card.

60 61 62 61 61 611 612 613 The management control deviceincludes a computing deviceand a recording device. In the computing device, the following functions are embodied by causing a computer to execute a predetermined program. That is, the computing deviceincludes a member managing unit, a point processing unit, and an incentive processing unit.

62 62 62 1 62 10 FIG. The recording deviceis used as a database in which information of members is stored.is a diagram illustrating information of each member which is stored in the recording device. The recording devicestores information stored in the member card, that is, all of the member ID, the held points, the latest balance, the acquired points in three latest days, the acquired points in one latest month, and the acquired points in one latest year, for each member. In the recording device, member information (nationality, name, passport number, registration date, and the like) and a play result are further stored. As the play result, a start time, an end time, a cumulative bet amount from seating to seat leaving, and a balance from seating to seat leaving are added whenever the player seats and then leaves a seat.

611 611 1 62 The member managing unitreceives member information (nationality, name, passport number, registration date, and the like) required for member registration from an input device which is not illustrated or another device communicatively connected thereto and performs member registration. At this time, the member managing unitgives a member ID for identifying a member. The member ID is written to the member cardand is stored in the recording devicealong with the member information.

4 50 5 60 50 60 As described above, when a player leaves the gaming table, the control deviceoutputs the updated held points, the acquired points in three latest days, the acquired points in one latest month, the acquired points in one latest year, and the cumulative balance from the start time to the end time to the reader/writer deviceand also outputs this information to the management control device. The control devicealso transmits the play result to the management control device.

612 62 50 62 The point processing unitupdates information of the corresponding member ID stored in the recording deviceon the basis of information transmitted from the control device. Note that, the play result is additionally written without rewriting the past play results. Accordingly, a history of the play results of each player is stored in the recording device.

1 62 With this configuration, the held points based on the bet amount are written to the member card, and points based on the bet amount are written to the recording deviceas a database for each member.

613 62 The held points can be exchanged for an incentive. The incentive processing unitperforms a process of exchanging the held points for an incentive. Incentives which can be offered according to the held points are stored in the recording device.

11 FIG. 62 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between incentives, the number of consumption points, and offering conditions which is stored in the recording device. The offering conditions include a condition that the latest balance is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount (plus), a condition that the latest balance is equal to or less than a predetermined amount (minus), a condition that the acquired points in three latest days is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a condition that the acquired points in one latest month is equal to greater than a predetermined value, a condition that the acquired points in one latest year is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and the like. The latest balance may be a winning amount-a losing amount of a member in a predetermined period such as one week or one month as well as from previous seating to previous seat leaving and may be referred to as a net profit of the member.

For example, an incentive which can be immediately used such as a service of a hotel for promoting a long stay (for example, postponement of the checkout date of a hotel in which a player stays or upgrade of a room) can be effectively offered to the member of which the latest balance is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount such that the member stays in the casino facility after the next day and can participate in a game. Accordingly, offering conditions that the latest balance is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount are added to the incentives such as postponement of the checkout date of a hotel in which a player stays or upgrade of a room.

On the other hand, when the latest balance of a member is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, time-limit chips which can be used after a predetermined period has elapsed or coupons which can be used in the casino facility can be effectively offered. Accordingly, offering conditions that the latest balance is equal to or less than a predetermined amount are added to the incentives such as time-limit chips which can be used after a predetermined period has elapsed or coupons which can be used in the casino facility. The incentives may include an incentive to which offering conditions are not set and which is achieved by only consuming points.

A game promoter acquires a profit when a value obtained by subtracting an amount of loss from a total profit of the game promoter is a plus value, and the game promoter has a loss when the value is a minus value. The value obtained by subtracting an amount of loss from a total profit of a game promoter is referred to as a net profit of the game promoter, and it is desirable that the costs of the game promoter associated with the incentives offered to members be determined according to the net profit as a whole.

1 70 70 60 70 60 A user uses the member cardwhen exchanging the held points for an incentive. Accordingly, an incentive offering deviceis used. The incentive offering deviceis a device that is used in a place in which an incentive is offered by consuming held points and is communicatively connected to the management control device. A communication network between the incentive offering deviceand the management control devicemay include the Internet.

71 70 71 1 70 70 70 60 1 70 A reader/writer deviceis connected to the incentive offering device. The reader/writer devicereads all information such as a member ID and held points from the member cardand outputs the read information to the incentive offering device. The incentive offering devicereceives an incentive which is desired by a member. The incentive offering devicetransmits a request for an incentive to the management control devicealong with information of the member cardand information for identifying the incentive offering device.

613 62 The incentive processing unitdetermines whether or not the held points of the corresponding member ID is sufficient for the number of consumption points corresponding to the score thereof or whether an offering condition is satisfied when the offering condition is set, for the requested incentive with reference to the recording deviceon the basis of the information.

613 613 70 70 62 When there are sufficient held points and an offering condition is satisfied, the incentive processing unitupdates the points by subtracting the number of points corresponding to the incentive from the held points. The incentive processing unitallows the incentive offering deviceto offer the incentive and stores the number of points consumed by causing the incentive offering deviceto offer the incentive in the recording device.

612 62 70 70 71 71 1 The point processing unitrewrites the held points of the recording devicewith the held points updated by offering the incentive and transmits the updated held points to the incentive offering device. The incentive offering deviceoutputs the updated held points to the reader/writer deviceand the reader/writer devicerewrites the held points stored in the member card.

70 70 613 70 613 The incentive offering devicemay be installed in a casino facility, an associated hotel, or a predetermined facility. When the incentive offering deviceis installed in a casino facility, the point service may be a right to enter a VIP room or unrealizable game tokens. In this case, the incentive processing unitmay offer the right to enter a VIP room in exchange for a predetermined number of points or may offer unrealizable game tokens corresponding to the number of points when the held points are equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. When the incentive offering deviceis installed in a hotel, the point service may be a hotel service. In this case, consumption points are defined for each hotel service in the incentive processing unitand points may be consumed according to the services.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since an actual bet amount of each member in a game can be automatically acquired and can be reflected in points, it is possible to reliably offer points based on a bet amount of each player.

Various modified examples of the second embodiment will be described below.

1 62 60 1 62 1 62 62 1 1 1 In the second embodiment, information such as held points of each member is stored in the member cardand the recording deviceof the management control deviceand both information such as the held points stored in the member cardand information such as the held points stored in the recording deviceare updated whenever a member participates in a game and consumes points, but information such as the held points may be stored in only one of the member cardand the recording device. When information such as the held points is stored in the recording device, only the member ID may be stored in the member card. In this case, the member cardmay be used to identify a player by reading the member cardat the time of seating and at the time of seat leaving as described above.

12 FIG. 12 FIG. 21 2 In the second embodiment and Modified Example 1 thereof, a player who is seated in each player position is identified using the member card, but the method of identifying a player is not limited thereto.is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the player identifying unit. As illustrated in, in a game management system according to this modified example, a camerafor imaging faces of players who are located in player positions are provided in addition to the camerafor imaging bet areas.

21 50 50 60 61 60 614 614 611 62 The cameraphotographs a face of a player in a player position, generates a face image, and outputs the face image to the control device. The control devicetransmits the face image to the management control device. The computing deviceof the management control deviceincludes a player identifying unit. The player identifying unitidentifies a player by performing image analysis on the face image. Accordingly, the member managing unitacquires a face image of a member in correlation with the member ID and stores the acquired face image in the recording deviceat the time of member registration.

614 21 614 An arbitrary existing face authentication technique such as analysis using principal component analysis, analysis using deep learning, or analysis using a hidden Markov model can be used for the image analysis in the player identifying unit, or analysis using a moving image or analysis using three-dimensional image may be used. A face authentication system serving as a player identifying unit is constituted by the cameraand the player identifying unit.

13 FIG. 22 22 50 22 is a diagram illustrating another modified example of the player identifying unit. In this modified example, a fingerprint reader deviceis provided in each player position as means for identifying a player. Although not illustrated, each fingerprint reader deviceis connected to the control device. An arbitrary existing fingerprint reader device can be used as the fingerprint reader device.

22 22 50 50 60 614 62 22 614 A player causes the fingerprint reader deviceto read a fingerprint at the time of seating and at the time of seat leaving. When a fingerprint is read, the fingerprint reader deviceoutputs information of the read fingerprint to the control device. The control devicetransmits information of the fingerprint to the management control device. The player identifying unitaccording to this modified example identifies a player through a fingerprint authentication technique. Accordingly, a player reads a fingerprint thereof and stores the information thereof in the recording deviceat the time of member registration. In this modified example, a fingerprint authentication system serving as the player identifying unit is constituted by the fingerprint reader deviceand the player identifying unit.

The player identifying unit in the present disclosure may identify a player by performing other biometric authentication such as finger vein authentication, iris authentication, voiceprint authentication in addition to the face authentication or the fingerprint authentication.

5 52 53 54 In the reader/writer device, the seating button, the seat-leaving button, and the position designation buttonmay be embodied by a touch panel.

50 3 4 In the above-mentioned embodiments, the control devicecalculates a payout amount and a collected amount on the basis of the bet amount recognized by image analysis and the winning/losing result from the card distribution device, but the type or the number of game tokens which are actually paid or collected on the gaming tablemay be recognized by analyzing an image or a video to calculate the payout amount and the collected amount.

50 4 60 61 60 50 4 In the above-mentioned embodiments, some or all of the functions of the control devicewhich is provided for each gaming tablemay be included in the management control deviceor some or all of the functions of the computing deviceof the management control devicemay be included in the control deviceprovided in each gaming table.

611 613 62 11 FIG. In the above-mentioned embodiments, the member managing unitmay store information of a class of a member as member information and the incentive processing unitmay change a status of a member according to the number of held points thereof. A status as incentive information (see) may be stored in the recording device. Accordingly, it is possible to set an incentive such as invitation of a member of a high status to a VIP room.

When the held points reach a predetermined amount, bonus points may be offered. Alternatively, when points acquired within a predetermined period (for example, a day, several days, or one month) are equal to or greater than a predetermined value, bonus points may be offered. That is, bonus points may be offered to a member who has comprehensively acquired points within a predetermined period.

50 60 5 62 1 62 1 50 60 5 62 1 In the above-mentioned embodiments, at a time at which a player leaves a seat, a cumulative bet amount and a cumulative balance from seating to seat leaving are transmitted from the control deviceto the management control deviceand the reader/writer deviceand are written to the recording deviceand the member card. However, instead, the bet amount and the balance (the payout amount or the collected amount) in each game from seating to seat leaving may be written to the recording deviceand the member card. When a game concludes, the bet amount and the balance (the payout amount or the collected amount) in the game may be transmitted from the control deviceto the management control deviceand the reader/writer deviceand be written to the recording deviceand the member card.

62 The cumulative bet amount and the cumulative balance of each member stored in the recording devicecan be used as credit information. For example, it is possible to determine that a member of which the cumulative bet amount is greater has funds power or that a member of which the balance is much less than the cumulative bet amount has a high risk.

61 62 62 The computing devicemay store a net profit (that is, a cumulative profit) of a game promoter side (the casino side) in a predetermined time (for example, every hour) or period (for example, every day or every month) in the recording deviceand read the net profit from the recording deviceif necessary. Information of the net profit can be used for business judgment of the casino.

17 9 50 9 When the total increase/decrease amount of the game token traybefore and after settlement of the game tokensand the total amount of the balance of each player match each other as the result of comparison, the control devicemay be configured to offer points to the player. With this configuration, it is possible to ascertain that payment or collection of the game tokenshas been accurately performed by the settlement and thus to offer points.